What do you think?
Rate this book
Tall Boy Sun
An Alcoholic Starship Mechanic—A Web of Deceit and Danger
Sol Linocass mucks out clogged valves at an insect protein farm for a living, but he dreams of the stars. If only he could prove himself as a starship ace, he could earn back the love and respect of his ex-wife and kids. Standing in his way are his own irresponsibility and a chronic drinking problem.
Facing imminent eviction, Sol discovers a blueprint for a faster-than-light drive, landing himself in the crosshairs of shadowy spooks and legendary space pirates who want the drive for themselves. Sol flees to his sister, Trudy, and begs her to let him join her crew, but life as a starship mechanic turns out to be less glamorous and more dangerous than he imagined.
When shadowy forces track him down, Sol must act as a double agent, balancing his loyalty to his family with his loyalty to the crew, while confronting his inner demons. In a race against time, Sol’s skills and courage are put to the ultimate test. Will he be able to save his loved ones and uncover the truth behind his enemy’s schemes? Or will the shadows of his past consume him?
The second book by Neal Holtschulte, author of Crew of Exiles, Tall Boy Sun is a thrilling adventure filled with suspense, betrayal, and the relentless pursuit of redemption.
Sol Linocass mucks out clogged valves at an insect protein farm for a living, but he dreams of the stars. If only he could prove himself as a starship ace, he could earn back the love and respect of his ex-wife and kids. Standing in his way are his own irresponsibility and a chronic drinking problem.
Facing imminent eviction, Sol discovers a blueprint for a faster-than-light drive, landing himself in the crosshairs of shadowy spooks and legendary space pirates who want the drive for themselves. Sol flees to his sister, Trudy, and begs her to let him join her crew, but life as a starship mechanic turns out to be less glamorous and more dangerous than he imagined.
When shadowy forces track him down, Sol must act as a double agent, balancing his loyalty to his family with his loyalty to the crew, while confronting his inner demons. In a race against time, Sol’s skills and courage are put to the ultimate test. Will he be able to save his loved ones and uncover the truth behind his enemy’s schemes? Or will the shadows of his past consume him?
The second book by Neal Holtschulte, author of Crew of Exiles, Tall Boy Sun is a thrilling adventure filled with suspense, betrayal, and the relentless pursuit of redemption.
424 pages, Paperback
Published February 27, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 19, 2026
Thanks so much to the author for reaching out with an audible code to listen to Tall Boy Sun!
I'm impressed overall! Neal Holtschulte does a great job narrating his own book. It's cool because he probably knew how he wanted his characters to sound and was able to bring them to life! The recording quality is great too. I wish more indie authors would read their own books!
Overall I had some questions about the plot but thoroughly enjoyed the book. The characters are great and went through a lot in a very short period of time. There's a good alcoholism rep (go Sol!) and the kids cracked me up.
I liked the action scenes too and just overall had a good time with this story. I'd totally recommend it for YA readers or anyone interested! The main character is a 30 something but I think any age will be able to get into this one. What I wanted most was a little more world background. And maybe a book two 😅
I'm impressed overall! Neal Holtschulte does a great job narrating his own book. It's cool because he probably knew how he wanted his characters to sound and was able to bring them to life! The recording quality is great too. I wish more indie authors would read their own books!
Overall I had some questions about the plot but thoroughly enjoyed the book. The characters are great and went through a lot in a very short period of time. There's a good alcoholism rep (go Sol!) and the kids cracked me up.
I liked the action scenes too and just overall had a good time with this story. I'd totally recommend it for YA readers or anyone interested! The main character is a 30 something but I think any age will be able to get into this one. What I wanted most was a little more world background. And maybe a book two 😅
April 6, 2026
I really enjoyed this book. The plot is fresh and fun. When I finished with the book, I was genuinely wishing for more. I hope there will be another book. The story never got boring or “over-produced”.
June 20, 2026
This review was originally posted at https://tinyurl.com/mvartens.
Sol has spent most of his life trying not to become his father. He may have a questionable employment history, a tendency to drink too much, and a habit of making spectacularly bad decisions, but at least he never abandoned his children. Even after his divorce, he was a parent constantly trying to spend more time with them—not less. Then he gets fired from yet another job after pulling a reckless stunt that could have cost a coworker their life.
While tinkering with the piles of scrap cluttering his living room, Sol discovers an old holodisk containing footage from one of the leaders of the rebellion that ended twenty years ago. Unsure if it's authentic, he turns to a childhood friend who now works for the government. His friend insists it's fake. But, the events that follows leaves a lot more questions.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in both audiobook and physical formats from the author.
I really enjoyed the audiobook version of this story. The narrator did an excellent job conveying emotions, and I never struggled to tell who was speaking. But the real strength of this book is its characters. Sol is not instantly lovable. In fact, he's kind of a mess. He's a middle-aged man full of unrealized dreams who firmly believes he would have been a legendary pilot during the war…if he hadn't been ten years old when it ended. He drinks too much, makes poor decisions, and has damaged relationships with nearly everyone around him.
At the beginning, I didn't necessarily feel sorry for him. He created many of his own problems. But watching his growth throughout the story was incredibly rewarding. As the story progresses, we see him confront the effects of his father's abandonment, deal with the consequences of alcoholism, and slowly begin taking responsibility for his choices. His redemption arc felt genuine because it wasn't easy or immediate. He stumbles, backslides, and struggles, which made his growth feel earned by the end.
This is a fast-paced space opera with plenty of moving parts, including conspiracies, gunfights, family drama, and an intriguing mystery surrounding the holodisk. Despite everything happening, the story never felt overwhelming and kept me invested from beginning to end.
Trigger Warnings: Parental abandonment, alcoholism, withdrawal symptoms (DTs), abuse, kidnapping, and gun violence.
The ending doesn't leave off on a major cliffhanger, but it does leave one particular storyline—especially concerning Sol's sister—just open enough that another book could easily happen. And honestly? I would happily return to this universe.
Sol has spent most of his life trying not to become his father. He may have a questionable employment history, a tendency to drink too much, and a habit of making spectacularly bad decisions, but at least he never abandoned his children. Even after his divorce, he was a parent constantly trying to spend more time with them—not less. Then he gets fired from yet another job after pulling a reckless stunt that could have cost a coworker their life.
While tinkering with the piles of scrap cluttering his living room, Sol discovers an old holodisk containing footage from one of the leaders of the rebellion that ended twenty years ago. Unsure if it's authentic, he turns to a childhood friend who now works for the government. His friend insists it's fake. But, the events that follows leaves a lot more questions.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in both audiobook and physical formats from the author.
I really enjoyed the audiobook version of this story. The narrator did an excellent job conveying emotions, and I never struggled to tell who was speaking. But the real strength of this book is its characters. Sol is not instantly lovable. In fact, he's kind of a mess. He's a middle-aged man full of unrealized dreams who firmly believes he would have been a legendary pilot during the war…if he hadn't been ten years old when it ended. He drinks too much, makes poor decisions, and has damaged relationships with nearly everyone around him.
At the beginning, I didn't necessarily feel sorry for him. He created many of his own problems. But watching his growth throughout the story was incredibly rewarding. As the story progresses, we see him confront the effects of his father's abandonment, deal with the consequences of alcoholism, and slowly begin taking responsibility for his choices. His redemption arc felt genuine because it wasn't easy or immediate. He stumbles, backslides, and struggles, which made his growth feel earned by the end.
This is a fast-paced space opera with plenty of moving parts, including conspiracies, gunfights, family drama, and an intriguing mystery surrounding the holodisk. Despite everything happening, the story never felt overwhelming and kept me invested from beginning to end.
Trigger Warnings: Parental abandonment, alcoholism, withdrawal symptoms (DTs), abuse, kidnapping, and gun violence.
The ending doesn't leave off on a major cliffhanger, but it does leave one particular storyline—especially concerning Sol's sister—just open enough that another book could easily happen. And honestly? I would happily return to this universe.
April 24, 2026
Neal Holtschulte’s Tall Boy Sun is a gritty, character-driven sci-fi adventure that leans as much on emotional stakes as it does on high-concept space intrigue. As the second novel following Crew of Exiles, it builds on the author’s talent for blending flawed protagonists with dangerous, morally complex worlds.
At the heart of the story is Sol Linocass, a refreshingly imperfect lead. He’s not a natural hero—he’s an alcoholic, irresponsible, and struggling to keep his life together. That’s precisely what makes him compelling. His desire to reclaim his family’s respect adds a grounded emotional core that contrasts nicely with the more fantastical elements like faster-than-light drives and space piracy.
Holtschulte does a solid job portraying addiction and regret without turning Sol into a cliché redemption arc; his growth feels earned, uneven, and believable.
The plot moves at a brisk pace, especially once the mysterious FTL blueprint enters the picture.
Where the book occasionally stumbles is in balancing its themes. It juggles redemption, family, addiction, and political intrigue, and while all are interesting, not all receive equal depth. The antagonistic “shadowy forces” are effective but somewhat underexplored, leaving parts of the larger conspiracy feeling vague.
At the heart of the story is Sol Linocass, a refreshingly imperfect lead. He’s not a natural hero—he’s an alcoholic, irresponsible, and struggling to keep his life together. That’s precisely what makes him compelling. His desire to reclaim his family’s respect adds a grounded emotional core that contrasts nicely with the more fantastical elements like faster-than-light drives and space piracy.
Holtschulte does a solid job portraying addiction and regret without turning Sol into a cliché redemption arc; his growth feels earned, uneven, and believable.
The plot moves at a brisk pace, especially once the mysterious FTL blueprint enters the picture.
Where the book occasionally stumbles is in balancing its themes. It juggles redemption, family, addiction, and political intrigue, and while all are interesting, not all receive equal depth. The antagonistic “shadowy forces” are effective but somewhat underexplored, leaving parts of the larger conspiracy feeling vague.
May 31, 2026
I picked up Tall Boy Sun as soon as I heard Neal Holtschulte had written a second novel. I enjoyed his debut novel (Crew of Exiles) so much, I couldn't wait to go on another space adventure with him. Tall Boy Sun didn't disappoint. It's a story of a down-on-his-luck alcoholic who gets mixed up in an interplanetary conspiracy that takes him on a death-defying journey around Jupiter and the asteroid belt. It's a page-turner and well-paced. For someone who reads books over the spans of years (yes, I'm a slow reader), I finished this book in fewer than three months. That's REALLY fast for me. And although this is a space adventure story on its face, it's actually a story about family. We follow Sol as he tries to win back the affection of his ex-wife and the trust of his two young children. He joins his sister's crew on a pirate mission, and ends up confronting their absentee father. And at the heart of everything is the touching relationship between Sol and his sister Trudy.
It’s definitely worth a read if you enjoy space adventures. It moves quickly and has a lot of heart.
It’s definitely worth a read if you enjoy space adventures. It moves quickly and has a lot of heart.
March 31, 2026
This was a fun read full of action and adventure. I love a story that also gets to the guts of humanity and Tall Boy Sun does not disappoint.
The character development is superb. The story line was compelling and kept me wanting more. I like when I can feel that I know the characters and experience their emotional ups and downs alongside them. I also love stories where the underdog rises above their trials and tribulations and their true potential shines through. Watching the depictions of how good and evil played out kept me always cheering for the main character.
I read the book and listened to the audio version and both were great!!! I am a huge fan of audio so would recommend the audio version. Neal does a great job with the different characters voices.
The character development is superb. The story line was compelling and kept me wanting more. I like when I can feel that I know the characters and experience their emotional ups and downs alongside them. I also love stories where the underdog rises above their trials and tribulations and their true potential shines through. Watching the depictions of how good and evil played out kept me always cheering for the main character.
I read the book and listened to the audio version and both were great!!! I am a huge fan of audio so would recommend the audio version. Neal does a great job with the different characters voices.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews